As a writer, editing’s our best friend when it comes to improving our work. Even greater insight can be gained when those edits come through another pair of eyes. But that doesn’t mean it’s a comfortable process.

Recently I completed a stint of manuscript edits. Partway through this process I was reflecting on the disruptive nature of a major edit. I could certainly see the benefits and was grateful to be reworking pre-publication, rather than lamenting post-publication. Yet, it would have been much less effort to leave the work in its original condition.

I liken a story to a spider’s web. The longer the work, the bigger and more intricately woven the web. Through the editing and revision process, weaknesses or inconsistencies may become apparent in the plot or story development, requiring a part of the web to be unspun and rebuilt. But you can just imagine what happens when you start pulling on one of those threads …

The entire web comes with it!

Life can be much like this. We might become aware of weaknesses or inconsistencies in our character or the way we live. Perhaps a gentle observation has come through another pair of eyes, making us feel vulnerable – exposed.

So what do we do?

It would be easier to pretend all is well and protect our vulnerabilities. I mean, it’s a given that by pulling on one thread the rest of the web’s going to take extra strain in the process or tear. In fact, that whole process sounds painful and inconvenient!

Awareness of such flaws can challenge us to confront the usual, even comfortable, patterns with which we do life. Relationships; habits; attitudes; behaviours. So many areas can be intricately interwoven.

But by choosing to become vulnerable and risk web deconstruction, we enable ourselves to examine the deeper issues underlying such vulnerabilities. Through this we can gradually build a stronger ‘life web’ for a  more positive way of living.